If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Realistically, with a disabled son ( dependent on us) and both DH and I in our later years we are unlikely to move far! However I do have a yearning to be further west- both DH and I grew up in the southwest England, but no longer have close family there.
It’s important to be part of a community as we age,( and not too far from services and family support) but if I could move, speak the language perfectly, take family with me and not be a newcomer/ foreigner I suspect Southern Norway or western France might suit.

Orly- You are so right the 1970s and 80s were so much better than today.

Like it where I am, north Yorkshire. Although we lived in the Gers, south of france, for 13 yrs and I absolutely loved it there, it would be too hot for me now. No inclination whatsoever to go back to Holland where I'm from.

I have lived in varous areas in UK but I have a yearning to live in eastern Canada eg Newfoundland. It will never happen, I know.

Japan. Visited twice when my husband worked in the Far East, love the people the food the culture. Would be hopeless at the language but in the large cities most people speak some English and signage is in our alphabet

If I could turn back time I wish I had emigrated to Australia when I had the chance and my children were little.
I’ve only been there once on holidays for a month and I absolutely loved the country and its people they were so friendly and down to earth.
There again my children wouldn’t have met their partners and had my seven wonderful grandchildren so I suppose everything happens for a reason.

I love traveling to other countries and, although I love to visit, I am always glad to get back to the little island in the sun that has been my home for 43 years.

Even if I won a fortune there’s nowhere I would want to live except right here. 🇲🇹

Used to be USA, Arizona in particular. Love it but now it would be Australia,love visiting my cousin in QLD. Love the culture,the people,the climate,way of life.

I spent a few months in southern Germany for work a long time ago - between Munich and the Austrian border. Spectacular scenery (although it does rain a lot) and lots of walks and cycle tracks. That’s my dream destination.

Dartmoor

The Alpes Maritimes in Southern France. Excellent transport links to Nice etc and beautiful combinaton of sea and mountains.
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Magenta8

London. I was born and brought up there but I have never been able to afford to live there as an adult.

I'm in London now, we came back four years ago to be near three of my children after 15 lovely years in Bath. We can afford to live here because we have a flat now as opposed to a house.
When I look at our original house here, sold in 2006, I realise that we couldn't afford to buy it now if our whole family clubbed together to get a mortgage!

orly

I'd choose to live in the 1970's. So much nicer than today.

Me too !

If I was younger I would build a house in Scotland or Northern Ireland to be able to grow stuff and have chickens!
I would love to live in Northumberland but too far from family plus transport is a bit limited outside of major towns! So shall stay here but regret coming back from Oz in 1975 aged 25 ! Should have stayed 😢

I would love to live near my daughter and three grandchildren in Novato California.

Although I am a Wiltshire born person I moved to South Wales when I married my husband. I love where I live surrounded by forests, fields and wildlife - no noisy neighbours or busy roads with glaring streetlights to spoil the night sky!!

This thread should be questioning where people would live, family aside. I live in the westcountry and would live nowhere else but do get annoyed at people cashing in their London homes and buying up property here. I have lived in Australia and found it interesting especially the outback. But I couldn't stand the heat and, once you are tired of beaches, there's not much else really. I lived in NZ for a short while. Lovely scenery but it really is the back of beyond and, as someone else said, people are leaving in droves as there are few jobs. Add to that motorbike gangs and drug problems. It is generally backward compared to Europe. I think, if I had to move somewhere else, it might be Scotland. It's just the bad weather but it really must be the most beautiful place on earth.

I’m grateful to live in a smallish town on the Thames. The only change I would make is not to live at the top of a hill. I can walk into town but can’t walk back up !

David 49 I am also in the south midlands.
I love the county as one can always find a quiet spot and some areas remind me of the early 1960s
There is always the pros and cons as I do miss the sea in the summer having been brought up by the sea. Also, living on my own with both sons working abroad and one living in NZ can be difficult to get help when needed

Home, here in Edmonton Alberta. My husband doesn't like the winters, but I love the cold and brilliant blue skies almost all winter. We lived without winter sunshine for a number of years in British Columbia Interior, so happy to be back here. We were out on Vancouver Island recently thinking that's where we might want to be but determined that we are very happy where we are: on a ravine, lots of wildlife around, easy access to everything and family. Nor did we want to cope with having to take a 2 hour ferry to get off the Island when we wanted to. So, we will manage an annual winter vacation somewhere warm (not the States for the next good many years...); I will continue to ski and he will hole up with a book and the pets until the spring.

I used to want to live for a while in Italy, notwithstanding the lack of standards of officialdom. The beauty of the country, its art, buildings and the language itself are just so beguiling.
But climate change would, I think, have driven me back to England now.

Malta, warm and sunny with lovely friendly people.

Here! Countryside around me and trees and flowers in my garden I feel very grateful for it all.

I’ve lived in my happy place for 23 years and can’t imagine being anywhere that would bring me such contentment. If you don’t love where you live, that’s unfortunate and I consider myself blessed.

Brownsea Island, one of the houses on the quay.